Automatic umbrella foldably retained by tip cap

Abstract

An automatic umbrella includes a plurality of ribs respectively pivotally secured to a plurality of ferrules respectively mounted or held on a telescopic central shaft, an opening tensioning spring formed in the central shaft for opening the umbrella, at least a retraction restoring spring for closing the umbrella, and a tip cap slidably mounted on a grip, in which the tip cap may be operated for depressing a biasing lever for disengaging a lower ferrule pivotally linked with the ribs for opening the umbrella, and may be further operated for depressing a sliding latch for releasing an elastic force of the opening tensioning spring to allow a restoring operation acted by the retraction restoring springs for closing the umbrella from its opening state.

I claim: 
     
       1. An automatic umbrella comprising: a central shaft means including a lower shaft having a grip secured on a lower portion of said lower shaft, a middle tubular shaft telescopically mounted in said lower tubular shaft having a middle plug formed on a lower end portion of said middle tubular shaft, and an upper tubular shaft mounted in said middle tubular shaft having an upper plug fixed on a lower end portion of said upper tubular shaft;   a rib assembly including at least a top rib having an inner end portion of said top rib pivotally secured to an upper ferrule fixed on an upper end portion of said upper tubular shaft, at least a stretcher rib having an inner end portion of said stretcher rib pivotally secured to a lower ferrule slidably held on said central shaft means and having an outer portion of said stretcher rib pivotally secured to said top rib, and at least an intermediate linking rib pivotally secured between said stretcher rib and a middle ferrule fixed on an upper end portion of said middle tubular shaft;   an opening tensioning spring formed in said central shaft means for opening said umbrella having an upper spring end portion retained on said middle plug of said middle shaft and having a lower spring end portion retained on a lower sleeve tube inserted in the grip;   a central rod formed in said central shaft means having a locking head formed on a lower portion of said rod and having an upper end portion of said rod secured to said upper plug of said upper shaft, said rod passing said middle plug of said middle shaft;   at least a retraction restoring spring each secured between said middle ferrule and an outer portion of said rib assembly for retracting said rib assembly when closing said umbrella;   a control means formed in said grip having a tip cap actuator slidably mounted on said grip for operatively depressing an opening controller for opening the automatic umbrella, or depressing a closing controller for closing the umbrella, said closing controller having a sliding latch resiliently slidably retained in said grip for normally locking said locking head of said central rod when opening the umbrella;   said lower ferrule having an extension ring formed on a lower portion of said lower ferrule engageable with an upper hook portion of said opening controller for pulling lower and middle ferrules and said rib assembly downwardly along said central shaft means for retracting said rib assembly for compressing said tensioning spring for storing its elastic potential energy, and upon a disengagement of said extension ring of said lower ferrule from said hook portion of said opening controller, said tensioning spring will be restored to raise said middle shaft and said middle ferrule for extending said rib assembly for opening said umbrella;   said control means including an intermediate positioner resiliently retained in said grip having a vertical thin plate and a horizontal latch normally protruding towards a center of said grip, said positioner operatively retarding a downward depression of said tip cap actuator when opening the umbrella for preventing a false closing operation after opening the umbrella; and   said tip cap actuator including a double-cylindrical-wall sleeve having an annular groove formed therein to be slidably engageable with a cylindrical wall formed in the grip, a sleeve tensioning spring retained in a socket defined within the wall for normally urging the sleeve upwardly, a first sloping surface tapered downwardly outwardly formed on an inner periphery of the sleeve for operatively depressing a protrusion formed on a lower portion of the opening controller resiliently pivotally mounted in the grip for biasing said hook portion of said opening controller for opening the umbrella, a second sloping surface formed on a central ring slidably engageable with the central shaft means under the first sloping surface and tapered downwardly outwardly to operatively depress the slide latch of the closing controller for closing the umbrella, and a lower retarding plate protruding downwardly from the central ring of the sleeve to be retarded by the intermediate positioner of said control means when opening the umbrella.   
     
     
       2. An automatic umbrella according to claim 1, wherein said upper tubular shaft and said middle tubular shaft are operatively coupled by a spring catch, whereby upon a depression of said grip for compressing said opening tensioning spring against said upper tubular shaft. 
     
     
       3. An automatic umbrella according to claim 2, wherein said spring catch generally formed as an elongate spring plate includes an upper portion of said spring plate fixed on the upper shaft, an arcuate catch portion formed on a lower portion of the spring plate resiliently engageable with an inner catch hole formed in the upper shaft and an outer catch hole formed on the middle shaft, and an obtuse-angle block formed on a lowermost portion of the spring plate operatively coupling said middle shaft and said upper shaft having an arcuate line emerging from said obtuse-angle block to form the arcuate catch portion to be operatively depressed inwardly by an upwardly moving of an upper end portion of the lower shaft when depressing the grip for retracting the central shaft means and storing the elastic energy of the tensioning spring. 
     
     
       4. An automatic umbrella comprising: a central shaft means including a lower shaft having a grip secured on a lower portion of said lower shaft, a middle tubular shaft telescopically mounted in said lower tubular shaft having a middle plug formed on a lower end portion of said middle tubular shaft, and an upper tubular shaft mounted in said middle tubular shaft having an upper plug fixed on a lower end portion of said upper tubular shaft;   a rib assembly including at least a top rib having an inner end portion of said top rib pivotally secured to an upper ferrule fixed on an upper end portion of said upper tubular shaft, at least a stretcher rib having an inner end portion of said stretcher rib pivotally secured to a lower ferrule slidably held on said central shaft means and having an outer portion of said stretcher rib pivotally secured to said top rib, and at least an intermediate linking rib pivotally secured between said stretcher rib and a middle ferrule fixed on an upper end portion of said middle tubular shaft;   an opening tensioning spring formed in said central shaft means for opening said umbrella having an upper spring end portion retained on said middle plug of said middle shaft and having a lower spring end portion retained on a lower sleeve tube inserted in the grip;   a central rod formed in said central shaft means having a locking head formed on a lower portion of said rod and having an upper end portion of said rod secured to said upper plug of said upper shaft, said rod passing said middle plug of said middle shaft;   at least a retraction restoring spring each secured between said middle ferrule and an outer portion of said rib assembly for retracting said rib assembly when closing said umbrella;   a control means formed in said grip having a tip cap slidably mounted on said grip for operatively depressing an opening controller for opening the automatic umbrella, or depressing a closing controller for closing the umbrella, said closing controller having a sliding latch resiliently slidably retained in said grip for normally locking said locking head of said central rod when opening the umbrella;   said lower ferrule having an extension ring formed on a lower portion of said lower ferrule engageable with an upper hook portion of said opening controller for pulling lower and middle ferrules and said rib assembly downwardly along said central shaft means for retracting said rib assembly for compressing said tensioning spring for storing its elastic potential energy, and upon a disengagement of said extension ring of said lower ferrule from said hook portion of said opening controller, said tensioning spring will be restored to raise said middle shaft and said middle ferrule for extending said rib assembly for opening said umbrella; and   said tip cap generally cylindrical shaped having an elongate notch formed in said cap to be slidably engaged with an extending base portion formed on said grip for forming a push button pivotally formed in said base portion, said cap having two protrusions formed inside the cap adjustably engaged with two elongate slots formed in said grip, said tip cap being operatively moved upwardly for shielding a plurality of tips of said rib assembly, said push button operatively depressing said opening controller and said closing controller.   
     
     
       5. An automatic umbrella according to claim 4, wherein said tip cap is slidably held in a bottom sleeve formed on a bottom portion of said grip.